Final Extraction by Julie Trettel
Silas
Chapter 21
Thirty minutes later I was pacing the aisle of the plane.
She’s not coming.
That reality was solidifying as truth every second I waited.
“Sir, the captain’s ready for liftoff. Please take your seat,” the steward said.
I froze then checked my watch. “Five more minutes.”
The man nodded and disappeared into the cockpit. He returned a short time later.
“I’m sorry sir. There’s a storm approaching quickly, and we might lose our window for liftoff if we don’t move now. Please sit down and buckle up.”
I sank into the nearest chair. I thought I might be sick. I’d given her a choice, and she hadn’t chosen me. I had been so certain she would. There was no way she didn’t feel this amazing connection too. Yet, she’d decided to stay.
My head dropped into my hands as my elbows propped against my knees.
“Why the sad face?”
I looked up and there stood Vada.
“You came?”
She nodded. “Is that okay?”
I unbuckled my seat belt and went to her. “God, yes,” I said as my lips pressed against hers.
The man cleared his voice behind her. “Please take your seats, we’re about to take off.”
“Sorry,” I muttered giving Vada one more quick peck on the lips. I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face.
We took our seats as the plane lifted off. My leg nervously bounced up and down.
“You came,” I said.
“We need to talk,” Vada announced at the same time.
“What is it that’s bothering you, mate?”
She smiled and relaxed a little.
“Why do you keep calling me mate?”
I didn’t know what she was getting at.
“Because you are my mate,” I said simply.
“It’s not the word, it’s how you say it as if it’s reverent of something.”
“To me it is. I know we don’t really know each other well, so would you like to hear my story?”
“Very much.”
I was pleased to hear it. “I’m afraid it’s not a very pleasant one.” I cleared my throat. I’d never really talked about my life growing up with anyone except Painter who had lived it alongside of me. “My parents were true mates. They believed their biggest goal in life was to increase the gorilla population. We lived in the wild. I was an accident, and they made certain I knew it too. I rarely ever saw my parents in their skin. I spent more time with Painter and his family than my own. As the token shifter kids, Painter and I spent a great deal of time together.”
“He’s a gorilla too?”
“Yes. He was from the next band over. His parents worked hard to care for him as well as their animal family, or at least a lot harder than mine. I mean we never went without food and daily grooming. We were raised as gorillas, not boys.”
“Are you still close?”
“Yes, he’s on Bravo team. I meant to introduce you to the rest of the team, but they’ll be home in a few days,” I said hopeful that she would still be there to meet them.
“Go on,” she encouraged.
“Right, so there were some scientists studying gorillas in the area. When they saw Painter and me, they thought we were local tribe boys who wandered into the woods, and they tried to help. They took us both to a local orphanage. We, of course, escaped but returned home to find both of our bands slaughtered.”
She gasped. “No.”
“We were taken back to the orphanage the next day and escaped again. From there we started working as young mercenaries doing whatever jobs were needed, and built a career on it by the time I turned eighteen. A few years back we crossed paths with Westin Force and were offered a job. I’ve rarely taken additional work since that day I first sensed you. I’ve been a bit obsessed with taking down the Raglan and getting you out of there.”
“That must have been hard when I told you I wasn’t leaving.”
I nodded. “Probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done was forcing myself to leave you there. And, after what happened, I’m not sure I’ll ever forgive myself for it.”
“Can we not talk about that?”
I nodded. “I’m not telling you all of this for sympathy. I’m telling you this because you need to understand. My job has been my life for a very long time. I’ve known since I was a small boy that gorilla shifters were rare and those remaining were supposed to focus on repopulation, or at least by my parent’s standards. You saw my gorilla today. He’s big, he’s powerful, and for a long time I truly hated him. I still struggle with what I am. I’ve watched every member of my team find their true mate, and settle down, but I never dreamed I’d find mine. Even after sensing you, I still didn’t believe it. I’ve witnessed firsthand the peace and serenity that can come with a true mate bond. I’ve never had that in my life, and I don’t think I would know how to handle it if I did.”
“That’s good, because I wouldn’t know how to handle it either. Thank you for telling me your story. I actually came to explain mine.”
“Go ahead,” I encouraged.
She took a deep breath. “My parents worked in the zoo. I was pretty much born in the zoo and raised, well, in captivity. As a human looking child, I had a lot more freedom of course, but I never really got to leave the zoo. Sometimes my parents would shift and play gorilla for a day or two at a time. They were scientists and enjoyed studying the animals up close and personal. It wasn’t a bad childhood, but it was a lonely one. The animals were my only friends.
I shifted for the first time when I was nineteen. The month before that my parents were playing gorilla and sold to another zoo. I was of age and sent away when they stopped showing up for work. Alone and scared in this big new world, I was taken in by a man who claimed to want to help me.”
She paused and my fists clenched awaiting the rest of her story.
“Really, I’d just traded one cage for another. He wanted me to do things I didn’t want to do.”
“Did he force you?” I asked.
“He tried, but like you said, I can have my stubborn moments. I mostly kept to myself and learned to handle his finances and other odds and ends that kept me valuable without being used like the other girls. Afterwards when the girls would return, some battered and bruised, or drugged out of their mind, I was there to help clean them up and sober them up enough to be ready to do it all over again. It was hell.”
“What did you do?”
“I finally got up the courage to leave. It wasn’t easy, but I did it. I lived on the streets for three nights and was captured by the Raglan. I’ve been their ever since. You see, I’ve never known a life out of captivity. You say I have a choice here, but I don’t know what to do or where to go. You’ve been kinder to me than anyone else ever has. I would rather be enslaved to you than risk falling into the trap of someone worse.”
I cringed. “I’m not your captor, Vada. You will never be enslaved to me. I don’t know how to make you understand that. I want to be with you, but not like that. I have a job that will take me away from you sometimes for days or even weeks at a time. I won’t always be there to tell you what to do, and I know you don’t need me to do that.”
“But what if I do?” she asked sweetly.
I reached for her hand and squeezed it. “How about we take things one day at a time? You have so much to learn and experience for yourself. I’ll show you my world and I’ll be by your side, but as your equal, not your master. Do you understand?”
She hesitated but nodded.
“Vada, I don’t ever want you to tell me what you think I want to hear. I only want you to say what you actually mean.”
“Somehow whenever you’re around, I seem to have a bad habit of just blurting that sort of thing out anyway.”
I laughed. “I like that, and I want to know all of your likes too. What do you want to do with your life?”
“My life?”
“Yes. Do you want to work? Do you want to be a mother and tend to your children? Do you want to paint, or feed people, or deliver babies, or a million other things? What makes you happy?”
“Honestly? I like helping people. I like to feel needed. Those shifters back there, some of them I kept alive. I gave them hope, and it felt good.”
I nodded. “That’s a start we can work with.”
“You know what else I really like?”
“What?”
“You.”
I leaned over and kissed her.
“Good, because I like you too.”
*****
Hearing Vada’s story had been hard for me. It also put me in a huge dilemma. I wanted to open her world and let her truly experience life, but at the same time I wanted to hug her and protect her in every way possible. I was stuck in a no-win situation.
After unloading everything on me, Vada fell asleep next to me snuggled against my shoulder.
As she snored softly, I replayed everything in my head. I needed to keep the mission fresh enough for debriefing when we landed.
When the wheels touched down on the ground, Vada jolted awake. There was a look of terror in her eyes as she pieced together where she was and what was happening. It broke my heart.
“You’re safe, mate.”
She smiled and suddenly I could feel a sort of warmth surround me.
Mate, my gorilla said.
The steward came out to let us know we were landed and could exit the plane. I thanked him and escorted Vada out.
“Where are we?” she asked.
“San Marco, California. Well, that’s where we’re headed at least. We’re just down the mountain from there now.”
“This is where you live?”
“Yes. Come on, I’ll show you.”
I led her to my car. We got in and drove up the mountain in silence as she took it all in.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been to California,” she said just before the Lodge came into view. “Wow, look at that place. It’s amazing.”
I pulled up and parked. “I’m glad you think so because for now, this is my home.”
“What do you mean for now?”
“Well, the others have all moved out and have houses nearby. If things work out, maybe we should consider building out there, too?”
Her eyes went wide. “A house? You want to build me a house?”
“Correction, I want to build us a house. Would you like that?”
She fidgeted for a minute. “I’ve never really been in a house before,” she confessed.
“How about an apartment? Or at least a room in a Lodge?”
She shook her head.
“Well that one we can rectify right now. Come on.”
I got out of the car and walked around to open her door. She took my hand in hers when I offered it. The peace that gave me was surreal. I smiled.
“He’s smiling? Silas Granger is actually smiling? Fecking hell. You must me Vada, the cause of such a monumental occasion. I’m Patrick O’Connell.”
I wanted to smack Patrick as I glared at him.
“Oh, wait, yeah, there he is ladies and gentlemen. I knew that scowl wouldn’t take long.”
“What do you want, Pat?”
“Debriefing in one hour. Winthrop’s here, so let’s make this fast.”
“Okay, let me show Vada around first and get her settled in. It’s been a really long day.”
I was hoping I wouldn’t have to deal with him until tomorrow, but I knew there was no arguing it and the faster I got it done, the faster I could get back to my mate.
“Come on,” I said taking Vada by the hand and leading her inside, down the hall to the elevator, then up to my floor. She clung to me as the elevator rose.
“I’ve never been in one before. I don’t particularly like it.”
I laughed. “Me either. My gorilla particularly hates it.”
“I think mine does too.”
My room was down the hall to the right. It had a gorgeous view of the woods that I hoped Vada would like too.
I unlocked my room and held the door open for her to walk in first.
Fury came running up to her. She jumped back in surprise.
“Sorry,” I said as I scooped the cat up into my arms and gave her some lovings.
Vada’s jaw dropped as she gaped at the picture before her.
“I guess I should have warned you. Vada, this is Fury. Fury, this Vada. Be nice to her.”
She was still staring at me until I started to become a little uncomfortable, then she burst out laughing.
“You have a cat?”
“Yeah, so?”
“People jump into action as you bark an order. You’re larger than life and sometimes a little intimidating, terrifying even, and you’re a cat guy?”
I grinned. “Don’t you listen to her, sweet girl. I’m not scary at all, am I?”
The cat meowed faithfully back to me.
“It’s adorable,” Vada said.
“What? No. I’m sexy, smoking hot, whatever other term you want to call it.”
“And adorable. It’s cute really.”
No one had ever called me cute before, or adorable. I wasn’t sure if I loved it or hated it.
I put Fury down and grabbed Vada by the waist. I leaned down and kissed her trying my best not to let things escalate.
“I don’t want to leave you,” I admitted.
“I’ll be okay,” she said. “Besides, Fury will keep me company.”
I nodded. Letting her go, I walked over to a drawer in the kitchen and opened it. I pulled out the spare key card to the room and handed it to her.
“What’s this?”
“A key card.”
“Okay…”
I took her back out to the hallway. “Place it right here,” I said pointing to the scanner. She did as instructed, and the door clicked open. “Then when you hear that sound you can come in.”
“I know what a keycard is, Silas. I may have been sheltered some, but not that much.”
I laughed. “You asked what it was.”
“I mean what is it for?”
“Oh, it’s for you, of course. This way if I’m not here or you need to leave while I’m in my meeting, you can get back in without issue.”
She stared at it with a strange look on her face.
“Vada? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Nothing at all. It’s absolutely perfect. I love it.”
“It’s just a key card.”
“No, you don’t understand, it’s freedom. I know you said this was my choice, that I was free, but I’ve never felt that until right now. This key may not mean much to you, but to me, it’s everything.”
I couldn’t fully understand where she was coming from, but I was starting to get a clue.
